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Instead Of Personal Branding, Earn The Reputation By Standing Up And Being Unique

Sheryl Sandberg

COO of Facebook

Among the people of technology, there are more men that there are women. While the female gender is certainly a minority, there are actually a few who crossed the borders and beyond even most men of tech can reach.

Sheryl Sandberg is the COO of Facebook. Her high-profile position at the social media company has put her under frequent spotlight, and there she also frequently highlight how imbalance the workplace is in terms of gender equality.

"Men are running the world and things aren't going so well!"

She says that women should lean into reaching higher salaries, negotiating smarter and learn to better develop their skills in the workforce. All that to get the compensation and promotions they deserve. According to her, women shouldn't worry about being popular, and should focus on what really matters: contribution and improving efficiencies and profitability.

Sandberg's efforts has made her a role model. But not only women, but also men as both genders.

While she has proven herself to be in many things. From a mother to a best-selling author. A widow and also the COO of one of the most profitable companies on the web. But her role in the society doesn't mean that she is really into personal branding.

She thinks that personal branding is overblown and too exaggerated.

"If you think you are building your personal brand, please don’t. You don’t have a brand. Crest has a brand. Perrier has a brand. When I hear anyone talk about building their personal brands, I know that’s not right.

The reason it’s not right is that products are marketed. 'This is sparkling water, it is one of my favorites. It is put in a bottle that I really like with packaging I really like.' But people are not that simple. We’re not packaged. And when we are packaged, we are ineffective and inauthentic. I don’t have a brand, but I do have a voice.

It is a voice that I used to help build a company. It is a voice that spoke out on women. It is a voice that sometimes gets things wrong. And it’s a voice I now use to talk about grief and try to break some of the isolation I felt. If you think you are building a personal brand, you will not have the career you want because you will not be authentic. Don’t package yourself. Just speak and speak honestly, with some data behind you."

While she opposed how most people on the web have been trying to do, she has branded herself as an iron leader but with a soft heart.

Although men generally are more effective at personal branding, women can practically do the same thing, so there is no monopoly here. But the thing is, instead of branding oneself, earn the reputation by standing up and being unique.

Furthermore, personal branding is not just about uniqueness. It's also about becoming pro-active, an expert or having knowledge of something, able to give and provide, authentic, unforgettable and the willingness to be evaluated by others.

People need to proactively advertise their worth to their bosses, their co-workers and their clients.

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